Before & After: No Balance Left

Hello!!

I'm coming in just under the wire with the last of my May stamping entries for my Nail Challenge Collaborative group, but this is one I'm really proud of. :)

KBShimmer No Whine Left was a polish I had been lemming for quite some time. Sometimes when you want a polish for a long time like that, you build it up in your head and the real thing turns out the be not that great.

This is not one of those occasions.

My darling friend Dina of Secretary's Nail Art introduced me to KBShimmer a long time ago, when she mentioned someone else told her that she should check them out. I did, and I drooled, and finally I was able to buy. I purchased three lovelies, including this one, and was blown away by the quality. It wasn't long before I decided that KBShimmer had to be a part of my Indie Hall of Fame, which I just started to build and is under construction at the moment (see tabs at the top of the blog).

But I digress. This is about No Whine Left, a gorgeous deep purple jelly with a variety of purple and blue hex glitters. It applies like a dream. It covers in two coats. It's one of those miracle polishes that just makes you happy...so happy I built an outfit about it, which was one of my first entries on Instagram. If you've ever wondered if I actually wear my 'before' polishes before I 'after' them (and the tip wear isn't convincing enough, lol), here is the evidence that I actually do. :)

KBShimmer No Whine Left, indirect light

KBShimmer, direct sun

I submit to you that this is not an easy polish to stamp on. There's already a lot going on--what sort of pattern can you use that actually adds to the polish and doesn't distract from it? And...it's um...dark. Other than silver, gold or white, none of which I felt would work for this...what do you do?

After some speculation, I came up with an answer that I think is a pretty darn good one. I stamped it using China Glaze Hanging In The Balance (have I mentioned in the last 5 minutes how much I love China Glaze cremes for stamping?) and used Konad plate m63:

No Whine Left + Hanging In The Balance

= No Balance Left

I. Love. This. Somehow the pattern almost looks like a background and the amazing glitter shines through. And it's like the shade of blue was made to go with this manicure. Sometimes--just sometimes--you accidentally stumble on a win. :)

Thanks for taking a look, and please check out the other participants' manis, linked below. :)

Hugs and love,
M.